Lifescapes

A Wilder Rose Gets a Do-Over

As I reported last week, Lake Union Publishing will be bringing out my novel, A Wilder Rose, in February 2015. The book--the true story of Rose Wilder Lane and the writing of the Little House books--first came out in hardcover, paperback, and ebook just a year ago (October 2013), under my own imprint, Persevero Press. It has done very well since, selling more than 12,000 copies and being offered in some 700 libraries in the U.S. and abroad. I'm sure that the reprint edition will do even better.

But in the meantime, the book is getting a do-over. Maybe you've heard the old saying, "A book is never really finished--it just bumps up against the deadline." I'm spending this week on minor touchups and a few major revisions, using my own notes and some suggestions from Lake Union's editor, who gave the book a careful going-over. It's a pleasure to dive back in and revisit Rose's life story, her work on the Little House books, a huge effort that spanned over a decade of her most productive literary life. You'll see the resulting do-over in February--I hope you'll like it as much as I do.

Revising Rose, however, means that parts of the Reader's Companion (the documentation of my research for the book) will be out of synch. I have two new projects brewing, as well as the next China Bayles (A Malted Murder), so I'm not sure when I'll get around to reworking the Companion to match. That will also be another big job. In the meantime, it's available (for less than a dollar!), so if you don't have it yet, now's a good time.

The Dahlias bloom in September. The new 1930s garden club mystery, The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush, will be out in early September. I'll be giving a couple of book talks (in Austin and in Houston). Check out the schedule here.

Reading report. One of my favorite summer reads this year was The Mockingbird Next Door, a memoir by Marja Mills about her time as the next-door neighbor of Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird) and her sister Alice. I enjoyed it, and enjoyed writing the review. It's here. I'm currently reading The Little Girl who Fought the Great Depression: Shirly Temple and 1930s America, by John F. Kasson. A very good read--hope to get around to writing a review of it soon.

Reading note. If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster. Isaac Asimov 

 

A ReLaunch for A Wilder Rose

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Readers and Friends,

This is both an announcement and a thank-you letter. I'm delighted to announce that A Wilder Rose (originally published in 2013 under my own imprint: Persevero Press) will be reprinted by Lake Union Publishing in February 2015. It will be available in both ebook and print formats. Lake Union is an Amazon imprint.

As many of you will remember, I wasn't at all sure what to expect when I published the novel, which tells the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, the unacknowledged co-author of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. I've been astonished and so pleased by its success--for which I have you to thank, readers and friends!

A Wilder Rose has done very well as an author-published novel. It received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and appeared on Kirkus' 2013 Best of Indie Fiction and Best LGBT lists. It has frequently ranked in the top 10 on Amazon's biographical fiction. It garnered endorsements by every major Wilder scholar (important to me, since I'm a former academic). It is held by some 700 libraries, nation-wide and internationally--as far away as New Zealand and Australia. It has sold over 12,000 copies and continues to sell well, and I daily hear from readers who have enjoyed both the novel and its Reader's Companion.

For all these reasons, I gave a great deal of thought to Lake Union's reprint proposal, balancing the book's current and potential readership under my imprint against the large number of readers who might be reached through Amazon's amazing marketing program. As some of you know, I'm passionate about this book, which gives full credit to Rose Wilder Lane for her 12-year-long effort to turn her mother into a successful--and self-supporting--author. It is a story that has been hidden for far too long, a story that needs to be told.

In the end, my decision was made when I talked to Lake Union's acquisitions editor, who outlined its editorial and marketing program. Jodi is friendly, easy to work with, and knows her stuff--she made me feel at home immediately. There will be a few changes to the book, which will also have a new cover. I'll begin working on the project next week and am looking forward to the rest of the process. Lake Union/Amazon has a huge marketing muscle, and I'm betting that A Wilder Rose's readership will triple, maybe more, in 2015. Wouldn't Rose be amazed?

I said that this is a thank you letter, and it is. I couldn't have published this book under my own imprint if it weren't for readers like you, who over the years have become friends through my traditionally published mysteries, memoirs, and nonfiction. Joining the ranks of "hybrid authors" (writers who publish both traditionally and in via the new author-publishing technologies) has been a hugely satisfying adventure, and I've learned more about books and publishing than I could ever have imagined.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking this journey with me.

Reading note. Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading!--Rainer Maria Rilke

 

 

Prairie Sumac: In Bloom This Week

If you live in a place long enough, you will see plants at their prettiest. This is one of the best years for bloom on the prairie flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata) that I can remember, in the quarter-century we've lived on this land--to the great pleasure of tiny sweet-toothed insects who delight in the nectar.

We have literally hundreds of these small trees on our 31 acres, and the females (yes, the lovelier of the species) are covered with glorious clumps of creamy-white blossoms. The trees usually reach their zenith in late October, when the shortening days turn their leaves to a flaming red and these pretty flowers have ripened into conical reddish-brown drupes that are a mainstay winter food of deer, raccoons, and possums. Native Americans steeped the fruits of various sumac species in water to make a tart drink, sometimes called Indian lemonade or Rhus juice. They also used the bark, leaves, roots, and fruits of various species for a wide range ofmedicinal purposes, from treating toothache to tuberculosis.

But I don't have to wait until October to see the sumacs in full glory. This morning, I walked through a small forest of them in the east meadow, their blossoms buzzing with insects, the dawn-washed air fresh and cool, the dogs eagerly snuffing out the scents left by coyotes and armadillos that passed this way in the night, and a blue sky arching overhead. Such bounty, such grace. What else can we do but be grateful?

Garden report. This is lay-by time, between the spring and fall gardens. We've eaten the okra and tomatoes we wanted and the chickens are getting the rest, along with the small, seedy Porters. Heat and drought are powerful put-downs in the summer. But I need to start tomato seeds for fall. Maybe I'll do that today.

Book report. The Darling Dahlias and the Eleven O'clock Lady is done, but my editor is on vacation, so I'll hold onto it until she comes back. I've done some work on the memoir that my brother John and I are writing, and caught up on a couple of backlogged projects. I'll have word for you on another exciting project by mid-week, so stay tuned.

Reading this week: Mockingbird Next Door, by Marja Mills. I'll post a review of this sometime next week, over at StoryCircleBookReviews. Did you know that I edit this site? We do some great things over there. You can subscribe to our monthly emails here. 

Reading note. If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice.-- Meister Eckhart

This week in the garden: Okra

The star of the garden this week is the okra, a hot-weather plant. And yes, the photo above is an okra blossom. If it reminds you of an hibiscus, there's a reason: they belong to the same (Malvacea) family.

I have a dozen okra plants in bloom and producing this week and will soon have more: the second planting is just coming up. I grow Clemson Spineless and Hill Country Red. In another week we'll have okra for the freezer, as well as for the dinner table.

Okra is a hardy plant. It doesn't like cold weather, but with a drink of water in the morning, it will survive the hottest afternoon. Domesticated along the Egyptian Nile in the 12th century BCE, it's beloved in hot regions around the world, where it grows best. If your summers are cool and you can't grow it, just wait another decade or so. Climate change is coming in your direction. Meanwhile, there's plenty in the supermarket this month. 

Our favorite is Texas-fried Okra: 

1/2 pound okra for every two people
chile powder & garlic powder (you decide how much)
salt & pepper
cornmeal, mixed with some finely crushed (really, really fine) tortilla chips
lard (yes, I know, but it's still the best. Use non-hydrogenated, if you can find it)

Pick okra when the pods are almost 3" long. Wash. Cut off the stems and slice diagonally into 1/4 inch pieces. Salt liberally and let set for about 20 minute, then rinse. (This reduces the musilage.) Sprinkle with chile powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then dredge in the cornmeal/tortilla chips, tossing the pieces until they are thoroughly coated. Heat 1/4 inch lard in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the okra (don't plop it all in at once, drop in the individual pieces so they don't stick together). When nicely brown on both sides, dip them out with a perforated spatula. Drain on a paper towel before serving.

We love fried okra with a sauce made of mayo thinned with vinegar and a squeeze of lemon, sweetened with a little sugar, and peppered. When I have fresh basil, I add some, minced. Yum.

On the writing desk. I'm on the last lap with the 2015 Darling Dahlias mystery and eager for the launch of the 2014 novel: The Darling Dahlias and the Silver Dollar Bush. Story Circle has opened its online bookstore from now through 9/15, so if you'd like a signed, personalized copy of the latest oboks, now's your chance. There's good news coming about another big project on the near horizon--more about that later.

Reading note: Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do. Wendell Berry